Los Angeles police officers take a break during a basketball game with residents of the Nickerson Gardens housing project in July 2011. Violent crime at Nickerson Gardens and two nearby housing projects has fallen by almost half since 2010.
Thomas Watkins/AP
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After Years Of Violence, L.A.'s Watts Sees Crime Subside

Homicide remains a leading cause of death for young people, even as rates drop. In Chicago, a teenage boy grieves next to a memorial where Ashley Hardmon, 19, was shot and killed on July 2. Gunmen fired while she was chatting with friends.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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A young neighbor watches as police respond to a double homicide in Flint, Mich., on June 30. Organizations including the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center are working to help young people choose non-violent solutions to conflict.
Michelle Tessier/MLIVE.COM /Landov
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